Rex: Sara Evans' ex hires disgraced state senator as legal counsel

Rex isn’t a big country music fan, at least of the more recent stuff, but he found it interesting that the former husband of a minor country music “star” has chosen to make a rather interesting hire in his legal troubles.

Craig Schelske, a onetime aspiring politician who was married to country singer Sara Evans, has hired former state Sen. Jeff Miller to represent him in court.

For those who have forgotten, Miller was busted by members of his then-wife’s family at a Jimmy Buffett concert showing a little too much parrot-head to his intern. It eventually came out that the family-values senator didn’t value his family quite as much as he did hooking up with the recent college grad.

In January 2009, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation raided his Cleveland, Tenn., law office, alleging it had overbilled Bradley County while he served as the delinquent tax attorney. He was arraigned in May of that year on charges of misconduct and conspiracy, but at trial the judge dismissed two of the three charges at the outset. When the state rested, the defense opted not to move forward and the jury found Miller not guilty of the last charge.

Schelske, who ran for Congress in Oregon in 2003, portrays himself as a family-values man as well. He and Evans endured a messy divorce in 2006, after she accused him of having affairs and an affinity for online porn. He, in turn, accused her of having affairs with various Nashville music personalities.

Evans seems to have moved on: She married former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker, who led the squad to a national championship in 1992.

Next thing you know Schelske will be hiring former state Sen. Paul Stanley — also an internist, if you will — to handle his finances.

Wilson County, USA

Rex thinks the makers of the seminal coal mining documentary Harlan County USA need to come to Tennessee to make a movie about the brewing battle in Wilson County between state Sen. Mae Beavers and state Rep. Susan Lynn.

As you may have heard, Lynn is running for the seat that Beavers was vacating because she planned to run for Wilson County mayor.

Beavers apparently had gone as far as recruiting Carthage furniture store scion A.J. McCall, of Walmart parking lot fame, to run for her Senate seat. He has since dropped out, and the GOP hoity-toity apparently aren’t too keen on Lynn, thus bringing word that Beavers is forgoing her county run to stay
in the Senate.

In other words, this looks like it could become the nastiest primary in the state, with rumors that both sides have done opposition research that could be debilitating.

Captain Planet hosts a fundraiser

Rex enjoys a good political fundraiser, especially those that involve heavyweights like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and former Vice President Al Gore.

Reid, faced with a competitive race to defend his Nevada Senate seat, flew into Nashville last week hoping to raise big bucks at Gore’s Belle Meade mansion. There, the former vice president hosted a bunch of Tennessee politicos to welcome the Democratic majority leader.

Those present included Gov. Phil Bredesen, former U.S. Sen. Jim Sasser, former Tennessean editor John Seigenthaler, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board Jim Hall, and Tennessee Board of Regents member Millard Oakely.

So far, there have been no reports that Juvenile County Clerk Vic Lineweaver was present.